The following material was included in 3 separate presentations I made at Discernment conferences this Fall. The presentations were accompanied by clips from DVDs to illustrate the points. The basic outline of these talks is below. This is a work in progress, and at some point there may be a webpage where further examples are posted, including the visual clips.

The reader must keep in mind that this report illustrates the problems inherent in the Dominionist worldview. Many of these false teachings are actually part of denominational doctrines, some were concocted in the past several decades, some come out of the occult. There is a dearth of solid theological refutations of these heresies and errors. Why is this? There were great and grave compromises in the seminaries over the past century, where these heresies were allowed to co-exist with fundamentalism, and where they were permitted to gain ground and become more acceptable—to the point that common people, humble pastors, and concerned professors in small Bible colleges and seminaries were silenced. Furthermore, these false teachings went mainstream through the rapid rise of the modern televangelists, Christian books and seminars, and parachurch organizations.
Each day at Discernment Ministries we receive correspondence from precious sheep struggling to understand these errors. We exhort those who read this, who are capable of writing solid biblical refutations of these errors, to prayerfully consider their responsibility before God and man to write rebuttals.

A WORKING DEFINITION of DOMINIONISM

The belief that we (mankind) have a mandate to build the “kingdom of God” on earth, restoring paradise, by progressively and supernaturally transforming ourselves and all societal institutions, through subduing and ruling the earth by whatever means possible, including using technology, science and psycho-social engineering; and then and only then will a “Christ” manifest his presence on earth.

Al Dager in his book VENGEANCE IS OURS: The Church In Dominion (Sword 1990) lists two further definitions of Dominionism:

A basic premise of dominion theology is that when Adam sinned, not only did man lose dominion over the earth, but God also lost control of the earth to Satan. Since that time, some say, God has been on the outside looking in, searching for a “covenant people” who will be His “extension” or “expression” in the earth to take dominion back from Satan. According to the dominionist interpretation, this is the meaning of the Great Commission.

Some teach that this is to be accomplished through certain “overcomers” who, by yielding themselves to the authority of latter-day apostles and prophets, will take control of the kingdoms of this world. These kingdoms are defined as the various social institutions, such as the “kingdom” of education, the “kingdom” of science, the “kingdom” of the arts, and so on. Most especially there is the “kingdom” of politics and government. (Dager, p. 44)

THE DOMINION MANDATE

Dominion theology is predicated upon three basic beliefs:

1) Satan usurped man’s dominion over the earth through the temptation of Adam and Eve;

2) The Church is God’s instrument to take dominion back from Satan;

3) Jesus cannot or will not return until the Church has taken dominion by gaining control of the earth’s government and social institutions. (Dager, p. 87)

SYMPTOMS of DOMINIONISM

What follows is a comprehensive list (although not complete!) of potential things to watch for that indicate that a particular teaching may be Dominionist.

1. Bypasses the Cross

De-emphasizes the Gospel of Salvation.

Substitutes the Gospel of the Kingdom, or embellishes the Gospel of Salvation with the addition of the kingdom message.

Teaches Jesus didn’t quite defeat Satan on the Cross, He didn’t get the whole job done – the church must finish the job – the onus is on man.

Emphasizes Old Testament Law and Covenants, works and deeds, and minimizes (or even mocks) salvation by faith through grace.

Ignores, slides over, sidesteps, gives lip service to, or otherwise disregards the fact that Jesus saves us from OUR SINS! The biblical teaching of the utter depravity of man is bypassed, minimized, neglected, missing totally, or mocked.

Jesus is seen as corrupted. He becomes a nebulous touchy-feely fellow, the object of our “passion,” a “god within,” a “force,” a “story,” a “king,” a “liberator from oppression,” one of many “christs.”

Jesus’s role as Savior and Redeemer is diminished and truncated, and His work is unfinished – and

therefore the church on earth must make up for His lack.

As an example of this point, watch ERIC SWANSON of Leadership Network on YouTube [below]. You will hear how he changed the gospel of salvation to the gospel of the kingdom: (Online source)

2. The Old Testament is exaggerated and emphasized.

The New Testament is minimized, or only viewed through the distorted lens of the Old Testament.

The New Covenant of Christ’s shed blood on the cross for our sins is minimized. The O.T. is mixed back in with the Gospel. (“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Gal. 3:3).

Replacement theology – the Church is Israel, and some or all O.T. verses about Israel are only applied to the Church.

A shift in emphasis from Christ the rock of our salvation, to building an actual kingdom on earth.

Using allegories and symbolism, especially in interpreting O.T. prophecy that hasn’t yet been fulfilled.

Ignoring, allegorizing or skipping over the O.T. prophets, or perverting their message. Especially ignoring their dire warnings about the consequences of idolatry and sin, and God’s impending judgment.

Extremes in teaching law or grace.

A return to fundamental elements of the O.T. Law – Theonomy and Theocracy.

Or, a corresponding emphasis on N.T. “Law,” especially the Sermon on the Mount. This often manifests as “Liberation Theology,” which is neo-Communist (peacekeeping, sustainable lifestyles, reconciliation, redistribution of wealth, charity as welfare, government Socialism, etc.)

Some Dominionist “kingdom” teachings begin to sound precariously close to anti-Semitism:

“Who are the subjects of the kingdom of God? The Jews? No, Jesus told the Jews quite pointedly, ‘I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it’ (Mt 21:43) (Bercot, The Kingdom That Turned The World Upside Down, p. 13)

3. The Gospel of Salvation becomes the “gospel of the kingdom”

Certain theologians teach that the Gospel of Salvation is not as important as their “gospel” of the kingdom. They claim that the church got it “wrong” for 2000 years!

The Gospel of Salvation is reduced to a:

“means to an end—entering the kingdom of God. Jesus never intended that His followers would preach about salvation and the new birth apart from the kingdom. The kingdom is an absolutely crucial aspect of the gospel. When we tell people about salvation—but say nothing about the kingdom—we are not preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (David Bercot, p. 12-13)

The Gospel of the Kingdom is substituted for the Gospel of Salvation:

“The Message Is The Kingdom”This means when we preach salvation alone we are missing the majority of God’s kingdom message. Salvation is essential. There is no other way of entry into the Kingdom of God. But salvation is the entry into the kingdom; it is not the goal or the Kingdom itself. By making it the goal we have lost most of God’s message. (Landa Cope, An Introduction to The Old Testament Template: Rediscovering God’s principles for discipling all nations, p. 147)

“Our destiny is not salvation

“God died to save us and desires salvation for all. The only way into the Kingdom of God is through Jesus Christ, but salvation is not God’s ultimate goal. The new birth is a means to an end.” (Landa Cope, p. 150)

The Dominionist theologians teach that this “kingdom” is a literal, physical, tangible kingdom here and now. They say it is not just a spiritual kingdom, nor one that is only fulfilled in the future. This “new type of kingdom” is described as:

“a real kingdom. The ancient kingdom of the Israelites was definitely a real kingdom, wasn’t it? It had real kings, real subjects, and real laws. Its domain encompasses the entire earth, even though most of the earth’s population are not citizens of this kingdom.” (Bercot, p. 15)

This kingdom must be set up in this world now. It is a man-based initiative that relies on man’s works to inaugurate:

“1. The Kingdom of God was inaugurated and the King was installed and seated in the First Century A.D. and we need not wait for the King’s second coming to get the Kingdom started here on earth….” (Jay Grimstead letter to Coalition on Revival Steering Committee, May 1993)

This kingdom must be set up in this world now. It is a man-based initiative that relies on man’s works to inaugurate:

“1. The Kingdom of God was inaugurated and the King was installed and seated in the First Century A.D. and we need not wait for the King’s second coming to get the Kingdom started here on earth….” (Jay Grimstead letter to Coalition on Revival Steering Committee, May 1993)

This kingdom is seen as “at war,” but not in the sense of the contending for the truth of the Gospel. Rather there are penalties for not obeying these kingdom “laws.” Failure to obey them is considered “treason” against the kingdom or its king:

“Jesus has issued various laws and commandments, and all of His laws are wartime laws. When we break His laws, we show ourselves to be traitors. We show that we have no real love for our new country.” (Bercot, p. 20)

This kingdom has laws that must be obeyed, most of them O.T., and anything less than absolute obedience to these laws is quickly mischaracterized and condemned as “easy-believism,” “cheap grace,” “antinomianism,” “Armenianism,” etc.

The shift from the Gospel of Salvation to the gospel of the kingdom requires “paradigm shift,” a worldview change which is substituted for biblical repentance:

“The paradigm shift that we must make in order to enter and remain in the kingdom is just that radical! …If we are truly kingdom citizens our whole worldview changes….”[Jesus] wanted to give [His disciples] a new set of values and a new set of laws—together with a new life.” (Bercot, p. 25)

4. God’s SOVEREIGNTY is insufficient and the Church must make up for His lack.

Certain things biblically assigned to Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Father, are passed on as responsibilities that must be borne by the Church.

The unspoken assumption that God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit (the Trinity) is incomplete without man—God can’t do anything unless man acts.

The Church takes on the role of Jesus – it must redeem the earth, “advance” or build the kingdom of God spiritually and/or physically, take over governments so that it can rule and reign on earth, and restore everything to its “proper” order.

The Church thinks it must “incarnate” Christ here on earth, and be his “presence.” He’s far away in heaven somewhere, too busy or preoccupied

The Church as “change agent” must quantify its goals, set benchmarks for the fulfillment of its duties, standardize its outcomes, and continually monitor and assess individual and group progress using databanking, modern psycho-social instruments and technology.

Fulfilling the Great Commission mandate to “disciple” all nations is viewed as statistically measurable, its completion being entirely up to man. Jesus won’t return until the goal is met.

Man must do it. God is waiting for man to act. The onus is on man. This is a man-centered faith. In this sense Dominionism is pure Humanism.

5. The Church is confused with Society or Nation

Basic doctrines of salvation and repentance from sin, conversion, confession of faith, and baptism of believers no longer define what constitutes “Church.”

The autonomy of the local Church is not permitted. It must become part of a greater societal and networking whole, a “system.”

Church is broadly re-defined to mean a given region, particularly a city.

“Church” is re-defined in the context of culture. Culture must be “redeemed” not individual sinners.

Everyone and everything on earth is obligated to come under submission to the kingdom church, its laws and its “king,” or else be guilty of “treason” –

“4. At this moment of history, all humans on earth, whether Jew or Gentile, believer or unbeliever, private person or public official, are OBLIGATED TO BOW THEIR KNEES to THIS King Jesus, confess Him as Lord of the universe with their tongues, and submit to His lordship over every aspect of their lives in thought, word and deed.”
“5. Biblical evangelism according to the Great Commission of Matt. 28:18-20 is not truly accomplished unless that message of Christ’s lordship from point #4 above is given to the person being evangelized SO THAT THEY KNOW that an attempt at PERSONAL NEUTRALITY BEFORE KING JESUS IS SIN and TREASON in this universe….” (Grimstead letter)

The Church puts itself in charge of Society, its Institutions, Culture, and the State. Society is viewed as an extension of Church.

The “missional” Church redefines its primary role from that of preaching the Gospel to that of becoming a transforming agent of Society. This is accomplished by changing people’s external lives, affecting how they think (“worldview”), passing laws, and “redeeming” cultural institutions.

To transform Society, the Church justifies using state-of-the-art tools of psychology and sociology, including Humanistic education methods, operant conditioning, dialectics, brain manipulations and marketing methods.

Reaching a worldview consensus is viewed as necessary to build the kingdom on earth. It thus becomes necessary to change the public’s worldview in any given culture or nation.

6. An entire CULTURE must be “redeemed,” whole nations can be “saved”

Evangelization—believing that entire nations or “people groups” can be collectively saved, including by manipulative methods such as psycho-social group consensus.

The emphasis is on the EXTERNAL – changing laws, morals, ethics, values, culture, and people’s worldview through education and/or political action.

No biblical separation. Rather, saturation. The church integrates and interacts with culture.

There is a marked decrease in preaching the Gospel of Salvation, the WORD of God, which alone can changes individual hearts and lives. (“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12)

Substituted for the true Gospel is a man-centered Social Gospel of community transformation:

“So the goal that God has now placed on the agenda of the Body of Christ in the last few years, much more than we can find in the past, is, the goal is transforming our society. Seeing the values of the kingdom of God, that’s why Jesus taught us to pray… the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven’…. And part of that prayer is, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’…. It’s not just words we’re speaking. ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ So transforming our society, understanding the kingdom, and transforming our society is, number one. (C. Peter Wagner, “Arise Prophetic Conference,” Gateway Church, San Jose, CA, 10-10-2004, transcript posted at http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/arise.html)

Another substitute gospel of redeeming creation, restoring paradise conditions to the whole earth.

“Jesus’ resurrection marks the beginning of a restoration that he will complete upon his return…. The whole earth can be redeemed, transformed and restored to paradise conditions…. [T]he new creation has begun, and we have a job to do…. What the New Testament really says is God wants you to be a renewed human being helping him to renew his creation, and his resurrection was the opening bell.” (N.T. Wright, TIME, 2/7/08, http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1710844,00.html)

7. An ESCHATOLOGY for an endtime revival

Jesus can’t return until the church does its job right here on earth. Or Jesus will return by “incarnating” in us. “The God Within.”

The Church will usher in the “kingdom of God,” with all things progressively getting better and better, eventually restoring paradise and/or bringing heaven down to earth.

“7. The Lord’s Prayer stating that “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” was meant to be prayed by us with the hope that this condition would happen on earth BEFORE Christ’s second coming wherever and whenever the Christians of any geography decided to band together to help make it happen.” (Grimstead letter)

The belief that we are in a 2nd apostolic age, where God will begin to speak new things to self-anointed, self-appointed apostles and prophets who are claimed to be equivalent to the First Century ones:

“2001 marks, is the year that marks the second apostolic age, which means for years the government of the church had not been in place since about, you know, the first century or so…. [T]the foundation of the church according to Ephesians 2:20 is apostles and prophets, Jesus being the chief cornerstone. It doesn’t mean there weren’t apostles and prophets, it means the body of Christ hadn’t recognized them and released them for the office that they had so that they’d function as apostles and prophets in the foundation of the church. But we now have that, I believe we’ve reached our critical mass in the year 2001. (C. Peter Wagner, “Arise Prophetic Conference,” 2004)

Speaking of the Holy Spirit as a force, an emanation, something that can be manipulated or invoked, imparted by human activities, etc., especially through manifestations of “signs and wonders.”

Ignoring the Holy Spirit’s attributes, and his biblically defined personhood in the Trinity.

Note: modern Dominionists are of every possible eschatological persuasion. The defining criteria for Dominionism is no longer postmillennialism. The issue is not necessarily WHEN they see Jesus as coming, but rather that the church needs to REDEEM the culture or take over governments NOW. Nevertheless, Postmillennialism is still the prevailing ideology.

The following quotations refute these basic heresies by explaining earlier church history:

“The earlier Christians all looked forward to the future rule of Christ upon this earth; but when the CHURCH and the STATEinterlocked arms, the Church began spiritualizing the millennial passages and understanding that the reign of Christ would be realized THROUGH CHRISTIAN CIVIL LEADERS…. “It was the rise of Premillennial thought, largely through the Baptists, that helped to overthrow Postmillennial (and Amillennial to a lesser degree) thinking that all governments of this world should be COERCED to embrace the Christian faith. With the spread of their doctrines through the world, religious liberty was again given its proper Christian understanding and the Church was SEPARATED from the affairs of the STATE.” (Paul Shirk, Come Out From Among Them My People)

8. Perfection/Unity

The teaching that the Church is evolving into little gods, a “new breed,” or an “elect seed” for a transformed endtime “Joel’s Army.”

The belief that this generation has a unique DNA or extraordinary special gifting from God.

Or, worse, the idea that man can create a “new man” either mystically and/or through a better DNA. The idea that man can be perfected to pre-Fall conditions.

The belief that it is harmless to associate with any heretic, even if they are caught in flagrant acts of immorality, illegal behavior, or openly teach heretical doctrines (Todd Bentley, e.g.).

The idea that you are impervious to leaven, that it cannot adversely affect you, that you can be around it without any bad consequences to your faith.

An insistence on unity at all costs, especially ecumenical unity among Christians, but also including extreme unity with other faiths.

Looking for “elect Seeds” to raise up the kingdom government.

“For they are the best of all the generations that have ever been upon the face of the earth. And best of all generations are those elected seeds that will glorify Christ in the last days…. “They will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever moved in before…. They’ll move in the power that Christ did. Every sign and wonder that’s ever been will be many times in the last days.

They themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to put death itself underneath their feet and to glorify Christ in every way.… the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a Church that has reached the full maturity of the God-man!”(p. 146, Vengeance Is Ours, quoting Bob Jones, Visions and Revelations, 1988, audio tape with Mike Bickle.)

Lack of ethics. Any technology must be “okay” if it helps to build the kingdom on earth.

A definition of a technocrat can be found in an occult encyclopedia–

“One who leads or rules by virtue of special or technical knowledge. Hypothetically, a master of the ideal control-system of planetary management, someone who proposes to enforce technological supremacy. One who masters by technical skill and elite knowledge, especially when used to manipulate nature, rather than cocreate with it through devout imitation, in the manner of the alchemists.” (The Seekers Handbook, p. 383)

15. MYSTICISM and NEOPAGANISM

The use of altered states of consciousness to reach higher spiritual levels for the purpose of achieving human deification or perfection.

The use of contemplation and meditation. hypnotic music, drumming, dance, pagan rituals and rites.

Guided imagery, visualization, active imagination, and other occult practices that connect with or invoke the divine.

The suggestion that there will be a collective moment of attaining “God’s dream” for humanity.

Numerology – assigning occult and spiritual significance to numbers or number sequences.

The belief that sexuality – either by denying it or practicing it in aberrant ways – will produce a heightened spirituality or closeness to God. An improper emphasis on “passion.”

The practice of pagan SEXUAL RITES to unite human with the divine, including using the “temple prostitute” as a mediatrix.

16. GEOMANCY

The idea that there are sacred places on earth, holier than other spots, that can be accessed and manipulated for spiritual purposes.

Prayer walks, labyrinths, and other meditative techniques that are located in sacred spaces.

The idea that there are spiritual powers and principalities over an area, and that they can be warred against. (There are no New Testament examples of the apostles using this method, but rather they preached the Word of God.)

Marching and claiming the land in order to gain ground for the “kingdom” on earth.

The idea that certain spaces, architecture, geometrical figures, ratios or alignments have sacred significance. This includes circles, stadiums, and other structures or “alignments.”

The idea that there are “territorial apostles” over regions and “spheres” (“mountains”) with kingdom assignments to take Dominion:

“These apostles in the workplace are the ones that are going to come into the picture and with them we’ll be open these gates…. Because it takes a government to overthrow a government.“Gate number one…, the gate of social transformation, the gate of social transformation. Now we’ve tried a lot of these things, like I’ve just mentioned… marches for Jesus, prayer walking, identification, repentance… You know how long we’ve been doing this? We’ve been doing this since 1990, since John Dawson’s book, Taking our Cities for God, first came out, this has gotten on our agenda, in 1990, fourteen years, we’ve been working on city transformation. And I’m not talking about the mediocre leadership of the body of Christ, I’m talking about our best leadership has been into this. And you know, we haven’t gotten a single city in America transformed in America yet…. And the missing link in this whole thing is recognizing and mobilizing and affirming and commissioning workplace apostles. Because what we need is territorial apostles for this, and most territorial apostles will be workplace apostles, even though some nuclear church leaders, apostles, will be territorial apostles.(C. Peter Wagner, “Arise Prophetic Conference,” 2004)

Extra-biblical agreements, usually enforced by coercion or guilt, often based on O.T. Law.

A psychosocial contract that serves as a formal “joining up” process in which one aligns their life’s purpose to an organization’s purpose.

A rite of initiation.

The heretical belief that failure to “work for political and social reform to establish dominion over the world system is to break covenant with God.” (Dager, p. 205)

The faulty idea that if someone is “not politically active in working to establish Christ’s lordship over the whole earth [he] is guilty of breaking God’s covenant.” (Dager, p. 206)

The heresy that the “reign of Christ” will only be “realized through Christian civil leaders,” thus embracing the “concept of a CHURCH STATE” – as explained by a critic of Dominionism below:

“A premillennial understanding of prophecy is a major tenet that supports a SEPARATION of CHURCH and STATE as well as RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. [But if] Christ is ruling now, in fulfillment of the millenial prophecies, through civil powers, then [the Dominionists believe] they have every right to institute Christian laws, for they themselves are under the rule of Christ, and verily ARE the rule of Christ. It is THIS understanding that undergirded Reformed thinking of the necessity for having National Covenants and binding religious oaths in order to COMPEL men to accept the true faith, so that the civil rule of Christ might be advanced. (Paul Shirk, Come Out From Among Them My People)

The idea that the Adamic Covenant, before the Fall, will be restored by obedience to O.T. law:

Many dominionists actually… assert that they will restore Paradise—that obedience to biblical law (ethics) can restore man to the pre-fall Adamic state. This is known as “progressive sanctification.” As man is sanctified through obedience to biblical law he will become immortal, the earth will be transformed: food will be plentiful, wild animals will become tame, diseases will no longer take their toll, and all nature will be in harmony. (Dager, p. 208)

18. SYNERGY

“Collective Consciousness” – the idea that there is a “fusion” when enough diverse spiritual energy collects together.

A form of “harmonic convergence” – the idea that by combining spiritual forces, God will be more likely to listen to prayer, or that only by praying en masse will He agree to shift things on earth. De-emphasis of private prayer closets.

Critical Mass – the psycho-social method of marketing in which once a new product or idea is embraced by enough people, it will shift the paradigm so that everyone buys in.

The idea that the Church is a key catalytic force in global transformation (spiritually, politically, commercially, governmentally, etc.)

Co-evolution, co-creation – the collaboration by humanity in the ongoing process of the evolution of creation, readying the planet for a coming “Christ.”

Synchronicity – the Jungian idea that seemingly unrelated coincidental events have a deeper mystical connection to bring about the kingdom.

19. EXTREME AMERICAN PATRIOTISM

The belief that America is a totally Christian nation under covenant with God like O.T. Israel.

The belief that restoring America to its status as a “Christian nation” will make society better.

The belief that by changing external civil laws that peoples’ hearts and lives will somehow be changed.

A shift in emphasis to changing politicians, laws, ethics, institutions, and culture rather than PREACHING the Gospel to lost sinners.

Christian activism is substituted for being “salt and light” by preaching the Gospel of Salvation.

“Standing in the gap” becomes political action.

Shades of revolution or civil disobedience.

A serious and fundamental lack of understanding about the biblical role of Church and State in the New Testament era.

Disallowing the freedom of conscience.

20. ENDTIME HARVEST

Heaven, and a heavenly inheritance for the faithful in Jesus Christ, is ignored or mocked. The focus shifts to a kingdom “inheritance” on earth, which changes prophecies about endtimes.

Belief in an utopian-sounding “endtime harvest” that is accompanied by an army of spiritual and/or physical warriors who enforce “God’s” totalitarian-sounding kingdom on earth.

Prophets and apostles purging the earth of resistance, eradicating “cancer” cells in the body, enacting death penalties for non-compliance to “kingdom” laws, and ruling with a rod of iron.

The belief that Armaggedon, the Great Tribulation and Judgment Daycan be bypassed, avoided, or explained away by allegory or myth.

The terribly erroneous belief that the sword in the New Testament is a literal, physical sword, instead of the two-edged sword that is the Word of God.

The frightfully mistaken belief that the Church is responsible to enact endtime judgment and crush all of the enemies of Christ.